Tweet down under: Microblogging comes to Australia

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Once upon a time, Twitter‘s growth prospects outside the United States appeared to be limited, because of differences in text message pricing. Well, it looks like that won’t be a problem any more. On your next trip to Australia, you’ll be able to tweet like mad thanks to the social media platform’s new partnership with Telstra (@Telstra), the wireless carrier down there.

To get you started, here are five Australian users that Twitter suggests you follow. Of course, you should keep an eye on @Gadling, too.

@australian (News from The Australian newspaper)
@delta_goodrem (Musician)
@kyleandjackieo (Australia’s #1 radio show)
@DanniiMinogue (Team Minogue judge for The X Factor)
@KevinRuddPM (Prime Minister)

There’s no question that Twitter can be incredibly helpful while you’re on the road. Be sure to hit up the locals for bar tips and under-the-radar attractions. This week, Twitter also announced its entry into Ireland and Indonesia.

5 reasons to travel after a breakup

by Brenda Yun on

We’ve all experienced heartbreak — the kind where you’ve cried until you have no more tears and you feel like your soul is on the floor. It’s never a good feeling, and you feel so emotionally spent that you feel like the best thing to do is stay in bed so you can’t get more hurt. The problem is you can’t get into a bad pattern of self-deprecation. You have to see the light of day at some point, and it might as well be as soon as possible.

Here are five reasons you should travel after a breakup:

  • A much-needed distraction: You may not feel inclined to pack your bags and hit the road, but travel requires mental (and emotional) energy that can make it the perfect distraction after a breakup. Instead of wondering about your ex or why things went wrong in your relationship, you’ll have to plan your next great travel adventure.
  • Learning about yourself: Breakups are all about learning and moving on, and the best way to truly know yourself is by getting yourself into a healthy state of self-reliance. By traveling, you quickly discover your limits and your goals realign so quickly that your heart will realign with them in no time.

  • Freedom is a gift: Relationships require work and time, and now that you’re no longer in one, you have the freedom to do what you want, when you want, so why not embrace it! Liberate yourself on the road by giving yourself the gift of independent travel.
  • The world is a beautiful place: Even if you live in paradise (I’m raising my hand right now), there are plenty of beautiful places in this world and life is too short to just experience them vicariously or virtually. Beauty will make you smile again, and soon enough you’ll wonder why you ever frowned.
  • Get cultured: I find open-minded, free-spirited, cultured people the most attractive and inspiring individuals to be around, and when I’m traveling I’m surrounded by them. Not only that, I’m experiencing life and educating myself of cultures I could only read about before.

After a breakup, there’s a tendency to trap yourself in a seemingly endless state of sorrow that it’s easy to forget about the world around you and the beautiful, inspiring things out there. If you can, find that strength to lift yourself out of that dark, personal space you’re in, step out into the fresh world, and embrace everything travel has to offer you. There are more than five reasons to travel after a breakup. In fact, there’s really no reason you shouldn’t, so get out there and go!

How to get free WiFi on your holiday flights!

by Kraig Becker on

One of the best innovations in travel over the past year has been the roll-out of wireless Internet access on flights. It has allowed us to check e-mail, get work done, and update our Facebook status, all at 35,000 feet. What cold be better? It truly is a wonder of modern technology on par with the Hubble Telescope and the Large Hadron Collider.

Fortunately, if you’re traveling this holiday season, there is a good chance you’ll get to test it out for yourself, and for no cost. Our pals over at Gizmodo have the scoop on how you can gain access to free inflight WiFi at least through the end of the year, thanks to some well timed promotional codes that may have been delivered by Santa himself.

According to Giz, the following codes will work through Dec. 31st. If you are flying Delta, then use DELTATRYGOGO, if you’re trip is booked with AirTran, then AIRTRANTRYGOGO should gain you access, and finally, if you’re on American Airlines, then give AATRYGOGO a shot. If for some reason you have issues with those codes, Gizmodo has a few other promotional codes , that are good through January 7, you can try as well. Travelers flying on Virgin America don’t even need a code at all, as they have partnered with Google to offer free inflight WiFi until January 15th.
And before you head out for the airport, be sure to check out Jaunted’s awesome Inflight WiFi Guide, which offers a quick and easy way of determining your chances of having Internet access on your upcoming trip and how much it’ll cost you if you do. Not all airlines have installed the service as of yet, and others are still rolling it out, so it’s nice to know ahead of time if it is even an option.

A big thank you to Gizmodo and Jaunted for sharing this information. It’ll definitely come in hand for many of us over the next few weeks.

Twitter reaches Ireland and Indonesia

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Twitter addicts don’t need to worry about hopping a flight to Indonesia or Ireland any more. The white-hot microblogging service has expanded its footprint to these two countries, with local mobile carriers making Twitter available by SMS without charging any extra fees. Twitter was worried about overseas expansion for a while, because texting costs outside the United States were likely to prevent user adoption.

If you’re in Indonesia and are a customer of 3 Indonesia, the local carrier, Twitter becomes even more valuable. TwitPic is incorporated via MMS, making it possible to tweet pictures easily.And, the folks over at Twitter say more countries are coming, but there’s already a pretty impressive list on board already.

Budget Travel helps you plan a nonstop Caribbean getaway

by Katie Hammel on

As the northern half of the US starts to get cold and skies turn grey with threats of snow, thoughts naturally begin to turn to weekend getaways to warmer climes. The Caribbean is calling, but when it takes two or more connections to get there from your city, it’s hard to escape for a quick weekend warm-up.

If you don’t know which islands can be reached in one flight from where you live, Budget Travel can help. The magazine has a new online tool that can help make planning a trip to the Caribbean islands a little easier. Their “Nonstop Caribbean” destination finder shows you which islands are accessible via nonstop flight from your city. It also tells you which airlines make the flight and how long the flight lasts. The tool can even help you plan your vacation, with suggestions on which hotels to stay at and what activities to do on the island.